A Stark Does Marvel
by wixley-kryptonese
Summary: Tony Stark Does Marvel, Soulmate AU style. Mixture of plain Tony Stark and fem!Tony Stark (aka genderbent!Tony Stark, genderbent!Toni, fem!Toni), with various Marvel characters.
1. Science Man

The lights were cringe-worthy, multi-coloured flashing circles. Bruce didn't know why he'd let Anderson bring him to this loosely-termed 'ceremony'. It had started out okay, with the head of Culver Science Department thanking their mystery benefactor, but then he'd asked everyone to have a great night and the dancing started. The DJ was okay for about half an hour, then Bruce caught him tipping back three shots of neon green liquid, and less than ten minutes later the music became something more suited to a nightclub, the lights and guests following suit.

Sitting now, at the bar, sipping a whiskey on the rocks at eleven o'clock in the evening, Bruce debated leaving – but he was Anderson's Designated Driver… He sighed, putting down his glass. He was probably already a little over the limit. Maybe it would taper off by the time Anderson conked out.

"Bartender! Get me a whiskey!" A man tumbled down onto the bar-stool beside him, and it took a second, but then he recognised the face. His breathing quickened, as he tried to force his legs to move, then-

"I'm Tony, Tony Stark," the billionaire grinned, holding out his hand, obviously drunk – not like it wasn't an unfamiliar sight. Tony Stark was famous for his drunkenness. "You're so fucking hot, are you a scientist? Love the lab-coat," he leaned over, Bruce frozen as he clumsily trailed his finger down the white fabric that kept him warm over his thin plaid shirt. "I think I'm drunk. Can I sleep with you?"

He toppled over.

"Oh dear," Bruce muttered, rubbing his chest before slipping off his seat to help his unconscious soulmate. His hands shook as he heaved him up, setting him on the bar stool again, lightly slapping his face to wake him up. The bartender grunted.

"No whiskey for him, then?"

"No," Bruce muttered, before the man's eyelids fluttered open. "Hey, sunshine, you got a limo out there somewhere waiting? You're a bit out of it." The man wanted to make sure he would be okay. He was tired, and had Anderson to take home and the first tests with the machine tomorrow – he didn't really have time to wait for him to sober up, so they could talk about how they'd like to do this.

"Happy, Happy's got the car…" Tony slurred, before sliding off the stool again – this time onto his feet. He stumbled towards the door, Bruce following him to take his arm around his shoulder, wanting to help in any way. From what he knew about his soulmate, which wasn't a lot, the man had issues. The fact that he'd poured alcohol on his father's grave and set fire to it was still legendary, and infamous, around certain circles of Geek. A short memory of stumbling across a philosophical debate the Chess Club in High School were having about the stereotypes of rebellious geeks and normal geeks raised his spirits for a small moment, before a large, hulking, but soft man came over to them, taking Stark's arm.

"I've got him, I've got him…let's get you home, boss-man." The man – maybe this 'Happy' – nodded in Bruce's direction, before taking the man away before he even had a chance to get a number.

If he was lucky, he would see him again soon.

Unluckily for him, the next day he became the Hulk.

* * *

Shivering, Bruce pulled the trousers tight around his waist, looking at his teammates shyly as Tony directed Steve on how to remove the suit manually 'without hurting it'. Stumbling, he winced at feeling the rubble under his feet.

"Anyone know where some spare clothes are?" Everyone glanced, but looked away afterwards.

Except for one.

Tony was staring at his chest, eyes wide.

Bruce shrunk in on himself.

"Your words…those weren't our first words, were they? I swore I talked about your work…"

Bruce steadfastly didn't look at him as they made their way to the tower. They dealt with Loki, Thor using magic, of all things, to make a set of Asgardian cuffs and a muzzle appear on him. He was locked in a closet that had a glass door, Barton going on guard duty. It was only later, when he was about to go to sleep in his new flat in the tower, courtesy of Tony, that the billionaire appeared.

"Was it someone else pretending to me?"

"No," Bruce muttered, looking at the man in his doorway. "You were shit-faced drunk – fell unconscious right after you finished speaking. You didn't hear my words. Sorry."

"Do you remember them?" He asked pointedly, eyes narrowed. Bruce nodded.

"'Oh dear'." Tony made a sound in his throat, before he walked forwards and took his face, kissing him. Bruce was speechless for a moment, before he started reciprocating, hands grabbing at his soulmates dirty ACDC shirt.

"Are we doing this?" Tony asked as they drew away for breath. Bruce didn't relax his hold, but shook his head.

"Not right now. I'm completely shattered, for one, and you nearly died today. When I was told, I thought about ripping your head off, but it didn't seem fair."

Tony shivered, "Don't remind me." He came closer, hugging Bruce tightly. "Knew we were going to be best buds. Science Bros forever." Bruce wrapped his arms around his soulmate, grasp strong and steady as he breathed in the smell of grease, whiskey and black coffee.

"I don't want you to get hurt by the Other Guy, Tony, if anything happens," he started slowly, making the man jerk beneath him. Their eyes met again, confused, hurt brown facing dark hazel. "Every second, I'm supressing him. I don't want you to be in the middle or, well…" his lips curled in an uncharacteristically smug look, "or under me, if I happen to get distracted."

Tony shivered again, this time not in remembrance. Bruce's smirk faded into a frown. "Are you sure you want to be with me?" Tony immediately nodded, kissing him again. He was like an overgrown puppy, begging him with large, panicked eyes.

"Please don't leave me."

Bruce shook his head. "I'd never leave you, Tony, just…we'll have to wait to activate the bond." When the Hulk had appeared, he thought he'd never get to see Tony ever again. He'd thought of the Other Guy as a curse.

"Waiting is fine with me!"

Now, seeing the radiant smile on his face, Bruce wonders if it was both a curse and a gift.


	2. Super-Mechanic U1

"What do you mean it's not there anymore?" Steve clawed at his skin, eyes wide and panicked as he searched his skin for Bucky's _What you doing, punk?_ "Where is it? Where's my soul-mark? What did the serum do?"

Erskine was confounded. "It wasn't supposed to work like that." Howard and Peggy were looking at the doctor and Steve in terror, like most of the rest of the room.

"Where-" that was when he yelled again, dropping to his knees as he felt the scalding feeling of a Mark burning into his shoulder. His hand grabbed it, Peggy murmuring expletives as she gripped him.

"Steve, it's alright, don't worry. We'll get your mark back," it was a bald-faced lie, and everyone knew it. Once a soul-mark was gone, it was gone – only a new one could appear. As the writing finished, his screams disappeared, instead sobs echoing through the room. That was when the man shot Erskine and grabbed the serum.

When he fell to his knees at the docks, he only had one question for Peggy when she finally arrived.

"What does it say?"

* * *

Antonia Stark had been born with a comparison to her father on her neck. Because of it, she always wore some kind of neckwear. Scarves, mufflers, turtlenecks, really just high-collared clothing – the latter especially after her scarf got caught in a fan. Her soul-mark was in the most damnable of places, right above where any normal oxford shirt-collar ended, and below where it was acceptable for foundation to be applied but thankfully quite close to her ear – even curling up and behind it a little, to hide her father's name. In answer to this challenge, Toni, as she called herself, bought a pirate trenchcoat in dark red, only ever taking it off when she was wearing a to-the-neck blouse or t-shirt. Usually the latter's collars were stiff, but it hid her damn mark so she'd wear it even if was uncomfortable.

It got on Pepper's nerves a lot, but really, she should have known better than to recommend wearing a sleeveless evening gown to that charity ball. Toni had happily put it through her industrial-sized strong-enough-to-shred-steel shredder.

At the thought of not wearing something to cover her mark, Toni shuddered, before speaking to JARVIS. "Shoot to Thrill, blast it."

The AI hacked into the speakers of the quinjet in the distance, playing the song just as she came in overhead.

"Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?" she quipped, before slowing to a stop in midair, guns coming out at her order, aiming straight at the man in green.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games." He smirked, raising his hands before his armour shimmered, golden stuff disappearing. Immediately she dropped to the ground, walking out of her suit and past Captain America, grabbing his spare gun and clicking off the safety, placing it right at the man's head, end digging into his forehead.

"Get the grin off your face – if you don't know what a gun is, imagine it as a mini cannon ball, going at over a hundred miles an hour." His grin dropped. "Yeah, be afraid, be very afraid." She glanced at Rogers, eyebrow raising. "What you looking at, Stars and Stripes?"

His jaw dropped, and he stepped back, before finally stuttering, "Who are you? You look just like Howard." Toni froze, before whipping the gun off Reindeer Games to aim at him.

"Say that again," she hissed, making him raise his shield. "Say it."

"Who are y-you? Y-You look just like…Howard."

Toni snarled, before putting the safety of the gun back on, throwing it at him. He caught it, and opened his mouth to speak before she bit him to it.

"Do you know how fucking long I've had to live with those words? My father was an abusive bastard, because he figured – _correctly_ , I might add – that _you_ would be the one to see it, because I look next to nothing like the guy! The only things we share are our eyes, hair and jawline. Nothing fucking else!" She stepped forward, pushing his shield out of the way to slap him. "Next time, think of something better to say to your soulmate, unless you want me to gouge your eyeballs out with a fucking fork!" He went to speak but she poked him hard in the chest. "And by the way, I _own_ you. As owner of the Vita Ray machine that plays a part in activating the serum in your fucking veins, I have the immoral, yet complete _right_ to you that only Doctor Erskine himself could supercede. Stay the hell away from me if you know what's good for you."

Then, growling, Toni walked back to the suit.

* * *

Do you know what the most terrifying thing in existence was for Steve during the Battle of New York?

Hearing Toni's comm. go down, and not go back up again.

She went through the portal, and with bated breath he listened for anything, _something_ that would tell him she was alive. And for a moment, a _single moment_ , he felt his mark burn. But then she was falling through the sky, only saved by the Hulk. He ran up to her still body, shaking her and not caring for propriety as he used serum-infused strength to rip the head-piece off.

"Toni, please don't die, please, please, don't be dead-" He shook her, frantic, before the Hulk set down heavily, roaring. Toni jerked, eyes snapping open in shock, before she met his eyes. Whatever words that were going to escape her mouth disappeared, a snarl escaping in its stead. She pushed his hands away, rolling to the side wit a pained gasp.

"Stay the hell away from me!"

Steve didn't get another word in before the words on his back started to burn. "No- no, not again, no!" He whimpered, hand scrabbling for the words as they disappeared. Toni flinched once, before the burning both disappeared and started up in another location – both letting out pained noises. When it was done, Toni had a thin black scrawl lining her left eye, flicking out to the side like Cleopatra eyeliner. The ' _Stark, if you ever do that ever-fucking-again I will do more than just kidnap_ you' was barely readable from where Steve sat, and his sight was enhanced.

For Steve, the new burning was on his wrist.

' _Who's Bucky?_ '


	3. Iron Pirate U1

When Fury's words appeared, he first thought that he was going to be waiting a long time. Then he heard that his most reliable Avenger had been Rejected by his most unreliable Avenger at the same time he gained the burning sensation on the crook of his neck, he felt vaguely nauseated. But he didn't investigate to see what either of their new Words said. He didn't want to, for once, manipulate a situation to his advantage. God knew what his soulmate had written somewhere on their body.

Despite that though, he also made sure not to meet them very often. In fact, it wasn't until the fall of SHIELD that he met with Rogers at all. He wasn't his soulmate. After his fake death, he took some time to comprehend that fact. It probably would have sucked to have Captain America as his soulmate, but the non-reality of _that_ , meant he either had a child as a soulmate, or Antonia Stark.

 _That_ was terrifying.

If she _was_ his soulmate, that meant she had nearly died. Several times. He had signed her up as an Avenger. Something that literally made her part of the front lines against big bads. He'd put her in danger. But he convinced himself that it must be a child, who he'd have a platonic relationship with, unless he was someone who had been given youth and long life. Fury would never condone himself being in that kind of relationship with a minor…but in no way could Toni Stark be his soulmate.

His prior thoughts though, about putting the woman on the front lines, which would pop up at the most unexpected times afterwards, should have tipped him off.

* * *

Justin Hammer was a nuisance. Unfortunately, he was a rich nuisance.

Natasha had told them all about the Black Widow program by now. They'd been working together for five years now. They'd fought against Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet and won, they'd defeated Loki once and for all – hell, they lived together and even had families of their own. Sort of. Natasha and Clint had adopted teen Kate and Labrador Lucky, Rogers was with Barnes – his original soulmate, and didn't that make Toni feel bitterly relieved – and Bruce had even found some romance for himself in green-skinned, ex-daughter of Thanos Gamora, and Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, whose father literally created the human race when he was bored a few billion years ago. Wanda had Vision, and Pietro played around with Peter (Parker) when he wasn't all hung up on Mary-Jane Watson, a normal human being rather than another superhero. Scott had Hope and his daughter, and the weird, giant pet ant she almost banned from the Tower.

And Tony…well, Tony had Pepper…though not really, cause Pepper married Happy and they lived in Malibu while Toni was in NY…but she had Dummy, You and Butterfingers! And FRIDAY, when she wasn't being an unemotional bitch. They were her family, when the original Avengers weren't being that. Toni snorted at the shit she was thinking. _I'm rubbish at lying to myself since that fucking soul-gem._

Cricking her fingers, she sat back in the metal chair. So yes. Natasha had told them about the Black Widow program. She told them how it had been brought back in the late nineties by Hydra, according to the files she'd put on the internet. Toni had been waiting for it after she sent him a quick memo, so had snatched them all up before anyone else could. It would have probably prevented a disaster, had the Rising Tide not been suspiciously quick off the mark to spread the personnel files. The files about the resurgence of the Black Widow Operations had noted the most likely candidates – one of which was Yelena Belova.

Justin Hammer, as said, was a rich nuisance. He also held a grudge against Toni, and was stupid enough to go for the overtop assassination technique. Belova was already on death's door due to a previous injury – but with some small words about how Toni meant something to Natasha, who she saw as her ultimate rival, Belova was willing to spend her last moments doing damage to said redhead by killing Toni. Belova was charged with murdering the billionaire at Stark Expo. Toni though, found out pretty quickly after she arrived that she was here for him – FRIDAY ran a scan, blah blah blah.

Belova came up on stage with a gun, and Toni stood right there, talking her mouth off for a few seconds before grabbing the gun and getting into a short fight with the blonde. In front of everyone. When there was an Iron Man suit literally, right next to her. Toni though, socked her right where her mortally wounding injury was, shocking her system enough that the half-mad Black Widow went into cardiac arrest. SHIELD took her from there, saving her life and taking her to their replacement for the Freezer. Then, of course, was when Hammer's reserve snipers tried getting her, as well as about half a dozen D-List villains. Once again, they were famous for their precision, blah blah blah.

That was when Coulson – Co-Director of SHIELD with famous Inhuman, Quake, aka Daisy Johnson – deigned it necessary to have her kidnapped, 'for her own safety'. Seriously – they thought that villains such as the _Slime_ could take her out?

She sighed, before shouting at the door.

"Agent! Agent, I want out! Agent! C'mon Phil! I don't like being locked up!" She whined, "This is kidnapping!"

The door to the pseudo-bedroom – more like an interrogation room with how many locks were on the outside and the stereotypical steel table with it's lamp and matching steel chairs – opened, admitting a familiar, dark face. Toni opened her mouth, but he beat her to the punch.

"Stark, if you ever do that ever-fucking-again I will do more than just kidnap you."

Her mouth dropped open.

"Fuck. Fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck it all to hell, shit, no, SHIT-" Toni paused, before remembering "but, though, no, I held my own. You can't kidnap me for holding my own – you should be congratulating me for going up against a Black Widow and winning! Says something about my prowess." She winked, but it came out more like a flinch as Fury looked at her with darker eyes. He came over slowly, shutting the door behind him before taking out a device and pressing a button. A line of white flashed around the middle of each of the four walls.

 _Privacy_ , she thought to herself as he came over and leant over the table, hands on the edge of the desk. She went to lean back at the sudden closeness, but found herself edging towards him, her hands and arms stretching out to rest against the edge, beside his clenched knuckles. They were barely half a foot apart. A smirk slid across her face.

"Ooh, speechless are we?"

He growled, arms shaking slightly as his hands whitened. "She was injured. That does not say anything about your prowess – only that you're willing to fight someone when they're incapacitated."

Toni's smirk disappeared, a pout taking its place. "Aw, c'mon Nick, that's not fair-" she grinned again, suddenly. "I caught that! Oh yes I caught that!" Fury's eyes gained a hint of amusement, angry expression becoming a small, black smirk before his eyes once again trailed over her form, lingering on her exposed chest.

"Serves you right for not wearing something suitable to you Expo."

"I don't care about suitable. Since my old soulmark disappeared, I've been able to wear these fucking tank tops, and I've fallen in love." She stood, going around the table as Fury straightened, not doing anything as she casually put her hand on his lapel. "Do you mind? This, I mean?" She asked, voice quieter. Fury shook his head sharply, before watching as she shuffled closer and closer, till their chests were against each other.

Toni wanted to kiss him, and that totally freaked her out.

Then all of a sudden, she was against a wall and his mouth was against hers, and she _groaned_ because fucking god it was hot, and was that a leg forcing her knees apart? Moaning again, she climbed up onto him, legs hooking around his back as he unexpectedly pulled out her hairband.

"I want it out," he demanded against her lips. Toni didn't answer, only taking it from him and slipping it around her wrist before unbuckling his belt. The hand that wasn't holding her up and against the wall reached for her jeans, unbuttoning them deftly before slipping them off her like they weren't skin-tight, momentarily putting her back on the ground to do so – while also revealing her habit of going commando. Toni didn't care, only pushing down his trousers and boxers, fingers drifting across his length before she guided him to her entrance, eyes shutting closed as he slammed her against the wall again, biting into her neck.

"Nick…" she mewled, before he claimed her mouth again in a hot kiss. Everything was fast, and when she came with a cry, he didn't hesitate before taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt, pushing at the collar to show the cramped writing in the crook of his neck. Toni whimpered before pressing her face to it, their marks connecting with a rush. He gripped her tight, before kissing the side of her forehead, muttering to her.

"Don't throw yourself at anyone like that without the damn suit on ever again."

"Sure, Nicholas."


	4. Purple Billionaire

Clint was having a bad day. Not only had the Avengers been called into duty to face the Slime, but Kate, Kate Bishop, his little prodigy, was moving to California to join the West Coast Avengers – and wanted to take Lucky. He'd obviously said no, so she'd gotten a bit tetchy and kicked him out of his own apartment while she crashed with said dog. He thought at least – his keys had been stolen and he could hear Lucky scratching at the door as he pounded the outside of it. Kate was probably ignoring him out of spite until it was time to leave tomorrow morning, and then she'd take Lucky and get the hell out of dodge.

He banged more on the door, calling for Kate again and again until he heard footsteps finally, heading in the direction of the door. His banging stopped, and so did the footsteps, Lucky's scratching and whining the only audible accessory.

"Katie?" He called for her in a normal voice…which then caused the footsteps to start up again, going in the direction of his kitchen. "Kate, c'mon, gimme a break! Look, I know you want to take Lucky with you to the West Coast, but he's my dog, dammit, not yours…" he heard a muffled sound of annoyance, before the jingling of keys, and hurried footsteps. Clint was set to glare as the door opened, mouth opening-

Only it wasn't Katie. Instead, it was a beautiful young woman holding Lucky back by his collar, a woman he would recognise anywhere – Antonina Stark. And she wasn't wearing a dime.

"…and you aren't Katie," he continued, "And you don't have any clothes on. Hot damn…" his eyes trailed over her form, tracing her rake-thin figure, subtle curves, arc-reactor chest – which caught his attention for a second before he saw the words on her left breast in his infamous scribble, recording his _exact dialogue-_ "Wait a sec, are those-"

"Your words?" She was staring at him, brown eyes wide, a strand of hair falling out of her loose bun, coming to frame her face as she let Lucky go, the dog bounding over to him, Clint petting him and rubbing his head on automatic, even as his gaze didn't leave the celebrity standing in the nude, in his doorway. "Yeah. Funny thing is though, we've met before. Strange we've never spoken before, considering our profession."

Immediately Clint's brow furrowed. "Profession? But you…" his speech failed as his gaze was drawn back to the arc-reactor, luminescent and glowing white-blue in the evening dim. "I know that arc reactor. You're Iron Star."

She swallowed, nodding crisply. "I am." There was a short silence, before Clint stood up, directing Lucky inside. The golden lab panted before scrambling inside, pushing past Antonina's legs, bringing back Clint's attention to the fact that she was stark naked – no pun intended.

"So, why the whole birthday suit thing?"

She glanced down, "Yeah. I'm pretty confident about…all this, and my clothes got soaked after I landed in Alpha Slime. The Mark Thirty-Two is completely inoperable now it's all dried. I stole your keys, I hope you didn't mind. Your place is barely a block away from where I landed, and I had to drag it all the way here. JARVIS has already had to run a virus on the area's internet to get rid of the pictures." She shrugged, seeming unbothered by anything at all – but while Clint couldn't deny it was quite the view, it was winter in New York, and his flat's central heating was crap. _She's probably freezing._

Stepping inside, he shut the door, locking it and taking his keys back and putting them in his pocket before hanging up his leather jacket and pulling off his t-shirt, not caring about personal space as he stepped forwards, pulling it over her head. Immediately she wrapped up inside it, seeming tiny inside the purple fabric.

"Thank-you," she kissed him on the lower part of his jaw, not quite tall enough to reach his proper cheek – or even his lips. Clint wanted to correct that, but knew that despite being soulmates, it might not work out.

Of course, that was when she looked at him coyly, hand going to his waistband.

"Want to fuck?"

Clint had a hard time saying no.

* * *

Later, when they were lying in bed together, Nina – as she dubbed herself – in another of his shirts and Clint in a pair of boxers, with Lucky lying between their feet, keeping them warm in the chilly apartment, they talked.

"So does this mean you'll come live in Stark Tower now? I've been bugging you and Natasha to come stay for years now."

Clint shrugged, kissing a spot on her bared shoulder as she got up, leaning over him, his shirt a tent on her form. It was a wonder they hadn't realised before that Iron Star was really Nina – who, in their eyes, was their monetary backer and inventor and upkeeper of the Iron Star. The person inside had been a mystery to them all, but now Clint could actually see it. He'd always thought the Iron Star was small in comparison to what it should be, if it was that thick and had a fully grown man inside. Maybe that was his downfall, always assuming things…

Their mouths met, before Nina's hand reached down under his boxers, stroking his length with her nails, causing him to shiver, hardening slowly.

"Menace," he muttered into her lips, before he slipped his boxers off, twisting them both until Nina was beneath him, a moan escaping from her as he sunk inside, grunting at the unexpected tightness, "God, Nina…"

A lazy grin took over her expression, only broken by the occasional hiss of pleasure, "Move in with me and the rest of the boys-"

"Fine, fine, I'll move in – but no promises about convincing Natasha."

Nina pressed a kiss to his lips, moaning in pleasure as he hit her g-spot. " _Clint!_ "

Clint just smiled, forehead against hers. "Nina, Nina, Nina, my Nina…"


	5. Iron Thunder

Tony had been friends with Jane Foster ever since she was twenty-two and he, twenty-six. He'd met her at a science convention thing, where she talked about her theories on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge – basically a wormhole through space. Having her as part of his words, he didn't hesitate to befriend her, helping her with her research and funding her, along with basically making her his sister. She, in return, returned his familial affections and swore that if she ever turned up with someone that spoke like Shakespeare on crack, she'd phone him immediately.

Tony did not expect to be called both with the news that they – they being Jane, Dr Selvig and Darcy Lewis – had witnessed an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, _and_ had an alien humanoid in custody who spoke like he was method-acting for Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.

Upon arriving, he frowned, wrinkling his nose. The alien was large, tall and buff as fuck, with flowing blonde hair that looked like it should be in a L'Oréal commercial. Of course, that wasn't what came out of his mouth.

"So you're Jane's alien friend from Lola Curich." The dude stiffened, tensing before turning, revealing sky-blue eyes that were wide in surprise. Tony didn't know why, but if the dude was his soulmate, and was from another planet, he probably didn't get the Star Wars reference. "I thought you'd be more green and one-eyed and all that pizazz, not like, amazing bod and muscles galore like John Cena," he continued, and went to say a bit more, probably referencing something from Star Trek, but instead was interrupted as the alien came over and knelt, fist over his heart.

"To finally meet you…it is an honour, especially after all the years I have waited, friend of Dr Foster," it was said from the heart, and quite honestly Tony felt like he was on Cloud Nine, but then the dude pushed up his shirt, showing what looked like a tattoo of the arc-reactor above his belly-button.

"What's that?" He tipped his head. The dude immediately faltered.

"You…you have words of the heart, but not pictures?"

Tony blinked. "Pictures. Oh, uh, no, unless- _ooh!_ " He brought his free hand to his back, hand touching the silver lightning bolt mark that his parents had thought was a birthmark of some kind. Turning, he lifted his shirt slightly, showing it off. "This it?" He felt an immediate tingly as the alien man's hand touched it.

"Yes, it is," his voice was soft, and then Tony felt awkward, stepping forward and turning to face him again.

"So, what's your name?"

The alien stood, before bowing slightly. "I am Thor, Prince of Asgard, currently in exile."

"What did you do? It probably wasn't as bad as what I've done, in comparison." Tony looked at him, expecting the truth. Thor looked at the floor, anger in his eyes but regret in his face.

"My coronation was interrupted by Frost Giants, that went rogue. I wished to destroy them, to war against their kind as my father once did, in my anger. I only killed a few dozen before father appeared and took me home to Asgard to be exiled."

"Huh," Tony tipped his head, "Yeah, not as bad as me. I invented and then supplied thousands of weapons, which with only one you can kill hundreds of people. A friend of mine betrayed me, and supplied them to our enemies too – the deaths of thousands of people, my own species, are on me. " He clapped his hands together, "Now, the pity-party is finished. What's this about an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, Jane?!"

* * *

Odin looked over him, and Thor felt fear. What if he pronounced Anthony unfit, or unworthy? What if-

"On Midguard, in a planet that is not united under a single banner, where would you rank?"

Anthony didn't seem pressured at all, despite the questioning of his status. "Well seeing as I'm the richest man in the world down there on Earth – and yes, we call it Earth, not Midguard, because hello, foreigners don't get to name us, thank-you very much – and the fact that I'm also a genius, I could probably take over Earth. I just don't bother, because a) it's not worth it, b) what would I do once I ruled the world? And c) I don't want to. If I did want to, they'd have trouble, and then if I felt like taking over the universe, you'd have to put up a very good fight against me because I'm awesome."

"Arrogant."

Anthony only smirked, "Realistic. Being arrogant has nothing to do with it. But as I said, I can't be assed to take over my own planet, let alone the universe. The only thing you have to worry about is how you're going to get away with regularly stealing away one of Earth's most high-profile humans, and or sneaking Thor into a world that, in some places, would have him tied down in a laboratory to find out the secret of Asgardian biology."

Immediately there were shouts and cries from the surrounding courts and dignitaries, and Thor took Anthony's arm.

"You must cease, Anthony, before someone decided you would be better off dead."

Anthony glanced at him, before speaking. "I'll be fine. As I told you, there are things I'm not proud of. Threatening interplanetary war isn't the worst I've done or will do – trust me."

"I do trust you," Thor replied, "That is the problem."

Anthony just gave a faint smile, before turning back to Odin. "So, Santa Clause, do I get to marry your son, or what? Cause if you say no, then I'll steal him and we'll elope with only Loki and the Queen present. And Pepper, and Rhodey- whatever, but yeah, your choice. Legitimate marriage in front of thousands, with all the pomp and majesty of a royal wedding or a Las Vegas wedding?"

Thor just sighed.


End file.
